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Monday miscellany

Antonio Campinos has now made his first speech to industry since taking over as President of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM). He spoke at Markenverband's annual forum in Munich (Markenverband is the body that represents top German brand owners). The full text of Antonio's speech can be read here.

Around the blogs. THE SPARKis a new British-based IP law blog. Claiming to be "novel, inventive and capable of distinguishing", this weblog promises "an independent and provocative view of recent developments in Intellectual Property law and litigation" and is written by "an English barrister with several years experience practising exclusively in Intellectual Property law". While the author goes to great lengths to conceal his identity, the IPKat is certain that he will discover the concealed identity soon enough. The clarity of expression, lack of obvious spelling and grammatical howlers and success in avoiding any use of lightbulb imagery have already helped him eliminate some 80% of possible contenders.

Is is my imagination, pondered
the Minister, or did I just hear
that chair speak ...?

Mother of Parliaments, home of talking furniture. On the subject of speeches,a chair -- John Whittingdale MP (Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Intellectual Property Group) tabled a Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (i) how often and for how long the website of the UK's Intellectual Property Office has been unresponsive as a result of denial of service attacks in the last three years; (ii) what reports he has received on the denial of service attacks on the Intellectual Property Office's website on 16 October 2010 (on which see IPKat here) and if he will make a statement, and (iii) what reports he has received on denial of service attacks undertaken on websites carried out under the banner of Operation Payback; and if he will make a statement. Replied Ed Vaizey MP (Minister for the Creative Industries):

"This Department was approached by one private sector company that was suffering a denial of service attack attributed to Operation Payback. Officials advised that company where to seek advice and to report the attack to the police. In the past week this Department has been working with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on the similar attack on their website. This is the first time in the last three years that the Intellectual Property Office website has been unresponsive as a result of denial of service attacks. The IPO have taken advice from experts within Government and [should 'and' read 'but', Merpel mischievously speculates] their service has now been restored. The Government clearly abhor this sort of direct action and the impact it has on businesses consumers and citizens who rely on access to Government websites for the delivery of important services; and call on those taking part to behave responsibly. The question as to whether this can be regarded as a criminal act is a matter for the appropriate authorities".

In an attempt to establish
a sense of identity, LES in
Scotland is introducing its
dress code.

The Licensing Executive Society Scotland is holding a meeting in Edinburgh this Thursday, 28 October. Enchantingly entitled "Win Win solutions- Learn how to optimise your odds in IP disputes", it stars John Sturrock (Founder and CEO, Core Solutions [says Merpel, Core Solutions must be the answer to Apple's problems ...]), Heriot Currie QC and the alliterative Lindesay Low (in-house counsel at the Scotch Whisky Association). The programme and registration details can be viewed here.

Recent publications. The November 2010 issue of Sweet & Maxwell's European Intellectual Property Review (EIPR) has now been published. This issue is rich in copyright, covering the failed orphan works provision in the UK's Digital Economy Bill (Dennis W. K. Khong), copyright law in the United Arab Emirates (Professor Brian Fitzgerald and Rami Olwan), copyright and competition law as viewed from the perspective of collecting societies (one of the IPKat's favourite topics, tackled here by Ingo Brinker and Tobias Holzmuller) and even a piece by Dinusha K. Mendis on copyright exceptions in the online world (we can't resist this subject: rationalising exceptions in this environment is a bit like the quest for the philosopher's stone ...)

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